Tire-chain connection



P. E. FELLOWS. 'TIRE CHAIN CONNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.25,1920.

1,368,030. Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

INVENTOR PERRY E. FELLOWS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

TIRE-CHAIN CONN EC'TION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Application filed March 25, 1920. Serial No. 368,621.

; and i do hereby declare the ame, reference being had drawings, formlng a c thereon.

relates to the connection i chains on tires which are. reme. Cne object of this invention is to e readily detachable connection be 11 links of chain.

lurthcr object of the present invention les in the provision of a readily detachable link inserted in anti-skid chains.

inother object of this invention is the ision of a link between the usual cross de chains which is not capable of disrtion from the cross chains when the re in their usual operative position, "-ich may with facility be removed 1 n the adjacent link of the cross chain nrncd at right angles relative to the e of the detachable link whereby with usual amount of play or looseness in chains a cross chain may be readily removed for replacement without taking off E it the particular cross chain. to be reother ends the invention certain improvements and combi ations or parts, all as will be hereinafter gribed. the novel features bei .t in tie claims at the end oi of a potion of a tire chains connected by means e same as Fig. :2, except that pen and the link is ready to be I is side view of the link shown by 2 and 5.

1*. is a section on the line 5-5 of 6 shows a tool or spannerfor opening on ink.

full, clear, and exact de- I Similar reference characters throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the connecting link is shown at 10 attached at one end to the cross chain 11, and at the other end with the side chain 12. Qnly one endless element or link 11 of the cross chain is shown in F igs. 2 and attached to the detachable link 10. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the detachable link 10 is formed in the shape illustrated and may be of any suitable material, but preferably is of malleable iron. A keeper or guard 13 is provided for the link 10 which may be provided with tapered ends to fit in the grooves 14' on the inn r or under side of the bent over portion of the hook, shown best by Fig. The tapering of the ends of the keeper also render it sufficiently resilient to allow the ends to be bent to enter the grooves 14. An upstanding lug 18 is formed integrally with the hook sl aped ends and located between them and is u ed to atford a seat or mounting for the keeper 13. A screw 15 affords a pivotal mounting for the keeper but it will be understood that any other suitable means for providing a pivotal mounting may he used. Since the link 10 and guard. 13 are not of such size and material as-to be directly manipulated by the hands, a tool or spanner shown in Fig. 6, is provided to facilitate the opening and closing ofthe link 10. The tool shown in Fig. 6 spans the pivot center of the keeper and engages the keeper near itsends in the grooves 16 which are tapered to fit the keeper. 7

An important feature cf the invention resides in making the bent over or free end per tions 17 of the hooks shown in Figs. 2 to 5 and shown best in Fig. 5. wider than the main body portion of the link 10, and also wider than any lateral dimension of the opening in the link 11.. That is. with the links 10 and 11 in the position shown in Fig. 2 with their axes in the plane oi the link 10, it will be impossible to detach the link 11 when the keeper 13 is opened and the axes of the two links still in the same plane of the link 10, because the maximum width of the opening in the link 11 measured at. right angles to the longitudinal axis is not sui'licient to go over broad portion 17. This important feature affords a further safe guard against the links coming apart accidentally. In order to separate the links 10 and 11 it is necessary to move the link 11 until its longitudinal axis is at right angles to that of the link 1.0 when the longitudinal dimension of the opening in the link 11 is sufficient to allow the link 11 to be detached from the link 10 over the broadened portion 17 as shown in Fig. 3. This last explanation indicates that the link 10 is not capable of use as an ordinary snap link, but that it is particularly adapted for use with the usual form of link used in the cross chains for a tire, because these links by their shape are particularly adapted for cooperation with the link of the present invention. Usually there is suiiicient looseness or play in the tire chains to enable the link 10 to be turned at right angles to link 11 for detaching the cross chains. This simple means of disconnection does away with the necessary bendin operations which are usually involved in the attachment of the cross chains and make them more readily removable. Although it has been stated that the links must be turned at'right angles to one another, it will be appreciated that any substantial relative movement of the links in this direction will be included by the pres ent invention, rather than a movement through precisely ninety degrees.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tire chain comprising side and cross chains and a link connecting said side and cross chains, said link having similarly shaped bent over ends gradually formed wider than its main body portion whereby the cross chains may be detached only by relative movement of the axis of the adjacent link of the cross chain to form substantially a right angle with the plane of the detachable link, the ends of said link being of the same height and affording the same clearance from the main body portion.

2. A detachable connecting device having free ends bent over to form hook portions, the free ends of the bent over portions being wider than the main body portion of the connecting device, a keeper pivotally mounted between the bent over portions and adapted to bridge the free ends of the bent over portions of the hooks, said keeper when in bridging position fitting in grooves on the inner side of the bent over portions of the hooks.

3. A link having gradually enlarged ends adapted for attachment to another link and separable from said other link only when said other link has its longitudinal axis turned through substantially a right angle With respect to the plane of the first mentioned link, the first mentioned link being gradually enlarged between its ends and in the1 same direction as the enlargement of the en s.

4. A detachable connecting link comprising similarly shaped bent over end portions ofgradually increasing width provided with grooves on the under side thereof, an upstanding lug extending upwardly as far as the bottom of said bent over end portions located between said end portions and provided with a substantially flat bearing surface thereon, and a resilient keeper pivotally secured on the upstanding lug and adapted to engage the grooves in the under side of said end portions, the ends of said keeper being tapered to facilitate the flexure necessary to engage said grooves;

5. A detachable connecting device having similarly shaped free ends bent over'to form hook portions, the free ends of the bent over portions being of gradually increasing width relative to the main body portion, a link adapted to be detached or secured to the connecting device only by movement thereof through substantially 90 degrees relative to the normal cooperating position of the connecting device and link when their axes are in alinement.

PERRY E. FELLOWS. 

